Holes In The Sky
by ByakuyaxRenji
Summary: Chief Lin Beifong tries to track down a missing kid, who somehow left a lasting impression on the fabled Chief of Police.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

It's been a while since I last wrote any fanfiction, least of all something LoK related but Lin is perhaps my favourite character and I wanted to at write one more piece about her. This involves the other characters we know and love but it's mainly a Lin focussed piece.

Critique, comment and reviews welcome. Flames not so much.

I do not own LoK, all rights belong to their respective parties.

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There comes a point in everyone's life when someone just gets under the skin and worms their way into your heart without you really realising that they have and that was the situation Chief Lin Bei Fong found herself in now that fight was finally over with Kuivra.

Republic City, the place she had sought to protect lay in ruins and many of the citizens had been evacuated prior to Kuivra reaching the border but not everyone had been so lucky and those that had remained behind had made themselves known throughout the coming days but it was the ones who were now listed as missing having not been on any mandatory evacuations that had her concerned or at least one name in particular did 'Haruka Yamato' the kid was a promising Earthbender but misfortune had plagued her since the death of her parents some seven years prior and the soon to be eighteen year old had been arrested far too many times that Lin had slowly lost count but nothing she had ever been arrested for stuck and when she promised the Chief on numerous occasions that it would the last time the elder woman saw her it would always come back to haunt her some months later. It wasn't that Haruka was a bad kid, quite the contrary she was always doing deeds to help others less fortunate than her; only she was the one getting caught doing it and despite the numerous attempts Lin had given her to settle in one of the City's orphanages Haruka had never stayed more than a month before skipping out much to the Chief's dismay.

But the last she had heard before Kuivra had marched on Republic City was that Haruka had finally found an orphanage that she had settled into giving her the stability she needed just before she turned into an adult and the woman in charge of the orphanage had told the Chief that Haruka had finally knuckled down and was attending school as well. So to read she was on the list of missing people did not sit well with the Chief.

But why the concern, how had a street rat gotten under the Chief's skin to the point that the elder woman was worried about her whereabouts; sighing deeply she stared at yet another pile of papers on her desk the criminals for once laying low as the city was rebuilt.

"I need to see the Chief, its important." came a voice from outside her office, not that it was unusual for someone to come here to speak with her but it was voice that she didn't recognise,

"Chief isn't seeing anyone so why don't you stop wasting time and get out of here." came the gruff response of one of her detectives who seemed less than impressed to be dealing with whomever was out there,

"She'll want to see Me." again that voice spoke with a little bit more conviction this time but still the detective she was speaking to wouldn't budge,

"Look kid, Chief doesn't speak to street rats now on your way." the gruff voice countered causing the Chief to actually shift from her seat at the mention of the word 'street rat' for it was something Haruka had been called more often than not in all the years she had been dealing with the Republic City Police Department,

"Please, its important." The voice countered but by this point the detective had heard enough as he placed a hand on her shoulder and began to march her out of the squad room, "She needs her help." she added with a sense of finality as Lin finally stepped out of her office, "Wait." she called causing the detective to stop and turn on his heel pulling the girl with him,

"Who needs my help?" she asked eyeing the young woman before her who was covered in dust and looked like she could use a nice warm bath and a hot meal, "She said to come to you, and you alone." the girl replied unwilling to say any more.

Lin nodded and signalled for the detective to let the girl go, "Might want to spill kid, I don't have all day." she chastised lightly knowing that it needed to be important or else the kid would be spending some time in a cell for wasting police time,

"Haruka sent me, well told me to come and find you if she didn't show up after a couple of weeks and it's been a couple of weeks." the kid managed her head dropping from Lin's gaze as the Chief led her back to her office so they could talk in private.

Once the door to Lin's office was closed she moved towards her desk before turning to face the girl that had come on Haruka's instructions,

"Spill kid." she repeated knowing that she needed to get the information before the girl clammed up again knowing that she was perhaps being more intimidating than necessary but when it involved that kid, she just couldn't help it,

"I think she's in trouble, all the kids from the Orphanage she was staying in have turned up but none of them will say where she is or what happened and I'm just worried and it's been week's since the invasion and nothing; no sightings nor well for you I guess arrests and I'm concerned. It's not like Haruka to just disappear." she managed her head dropping once more, unable to keep her gaze locked with that of the Chief of Police.

It was true, Haruka was unlikely to just disappear without reason and she hadn't been sighted on the streets nor had she been arrested lately which if she was safe would no doubt have happened by now as the City was in such turmoil still that didn't mean to say that the kid hadn't been smart and gotten out of the City before things went south.

"You make a good point, kid. All right I'll see what I can do." she replied knowing it was probably little for if the kids wouldn't talk to other kids then she highly doubted they would speak to a police officer but she had to try at least.

"Thanks, Chief." the girl replied before heading out of the Chief of Police's office and away from the station leaving Lin to ponder just what to do next, and to question again why she cared so much about this one kid when there hundreds out there in the world that needed help, the answer perhaps was more obvious than she realised as she let out a slow breath; there was only one group of people she could ask for help as she picked up the phone and dialled Air Temple Island.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Critique, comments and reviews welcome. Flames not so much.

I do not own LoK, all rights belong to their respective parties.

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-Four Weeks Earlier-

The first thing Haruka registered upon waking was pain and it wasn't a good feeling of pain, the next thing she registered was a lack of earth around her and when her eyes finally found focus the reason soon became evident enough as she found herself in a wooden cage and suspended above the very element she bent was not a pleasant feeling in the least. She felt physically sick at being so far above ground but decided that making a protest about her current situation would be pointless as she managed to glance down towards where her captors had taken up camp. Earth Empire greens and greys greeted her and the memory of what happened in Republic City came flooding back.

_Haruka had gone back to help those who she had grown to care for in a short space of time, ignoring the impending threat from opposition forces for the sake of kids who were in a no better position than her that needed to be helped. Arriving at the Orphanage she had to immediately throw up a rock wall to stop debris from a nearby building falling on top of them as a purple beam shot through the city levelling anything it hit. Soon she was yelling at the kids to run as she heard the ground beneath her feet begin vibrate unsure if was friend or foe as her gaze finally landed on the greens and greys of the Earth Empire's mecha suits, gritting her teeth and standing her ground had never become more important than it did in that moment, the two electric shocks however rendered her incapacitated but the pitter patter of feet running away made her smile for a moment before the world turned black._

Shifting back in her wooden prison she wondered how she had been deemed so dangerous to place high above the ground, surely those that had captured her were better Earthbenders than she, for truthfully she had raw talent and no actual skill when it came to bending her beloved earth for she had never learnt bending from a Master and what little she had learned had been self-taught. Sighing deeply at her predicament she wondered if anyone even cared back in Republic City as she pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them suddenly feeling very lost and alone.

-Present Day-

Haruka had heard them grumbling about the arrest of the 'Great Uniter' and how their cause was now lost which meant according to them they had to deal with the 'trash' they had collected. Unsure what they meant by that she scooted further back in her wooden prison and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep.

She felt the hand grip her collar and pull her roughly from the corner she was in before she felt the warm rays of sunlight upon her face as she was taken down a set of Earth bent steps before she was shoved forward into the dirt. Landing on all fours she took a moment to just feel the Earth beneath her hands before she pushed up and turned to face the one who had freed her, "Why?" she asked like it was the most simple question in the word, but the man before her merely grunted before turning away from her unwilling it seemed to offer an answer as he and the rest of the small group moved off and away from their makeshift camp leaving her alone once more only free for all intents and purposes.

She was at a loss, just from her surroundings she knew that Republic City wasn't nearby and having never left the City in all her seventeen years this was going to be a challenge, fending for herself wouldn't be but to get home in one piece was most definitely going to be a trial by error.

For the moment she needed to calm down and as she had been away from it for so long she sat down on the dirt before laying back and staring up at the sky as she gave herself a good old dusting of Earth, feeling more connected to her element than ever before as she just took the time to breath.

Slowly rising to her feet a few minutes later she patted herself down and decided to head off in the opposite direction of what remained of the Earth Empire forces for that seemed in her head at least the wisest idea even if she wasn't sure if it was the way back to Republic City, she had to start somewhere and with a small reminder that she could take on anything as long as she stood her ground; Haruka began to walk hoping that this didn't prove to be a fruitless endeavour.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Critique, comments and reviews welcome. Flames not so much.

I do not own LoK, all rights belong to their respective parties.

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"Air Temple Island, Pema speaking." came the soft well-mannered voice of Tenzin's wife and despite them getting along better since the Equalist attack, Lin was often unsure how to act around her still, she needed help be it from the Avatar or the Airbenders in her search for Haruka,

"Pema, is the Avatar home or perhaps Tenzin?" she asked softly hoping that one of both of them might be there so she could get this show on the road, due to her responsibilities as Chief of Police she couldn't go looking herself but perhaps Tenzin or the Avatar could go in search of her, or at least get some information from the children at the orphanage,

"Korra isn't here but I can get Tenzin." Pema replied placing the handset down as she went in search of her husband wondering what Lin could possibly need at such an early hour of the morning.

Lin let out a slow breath as she pinched her nose waiting for Tenzin to come to the phone; her foot tapped nervously on the ground as she waited suddenly agitated about the ongoing situation, despite not wanting to feel anything thing in truth she was concerned about Haruka, and she hoped the kid wasn't in too much trouble as she heard Tenzin clear his throat before picking up the receiver,

"Lin, what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked finding it a little strange that the Chief of Police was calling so early and he hoped that nothing was wrong,

"Tenzin, good morning. I was hoping to speak with Korra but Pema tells me she's not home; I need a favour Tenzin for old times' sake." she managed hoping he would be willing to help in the absence of the Avatar,

"Of course Lin, what can I or the Air Nation do for you?" he asked glad that she had come to him second after wanting the Avatar,

"There's a kid whose been missing since the invasion and her friends are worried about her, apparently she took on a couple of mech suits; in an effort to protect a group of children. When they went back to the orphanage after the invasion was over, there was no sign of her. Truth is she's not been arrested either so I fear she was captured." Lin managed deciding to tell Tenzin as much as she was able to given the circumstances and hope that he didn't ask too many questions.

But Tenzin was naturally curious as to who had gotten under Lin's skin enough for her to be calling him, and he couldn't help but disguise the chuckle as he listened to her,

"So you need help in finding her or asking questions? You and I both know that it's rare for those who live on the streets to speak to Police Officers" he replied wanting to aide his old friend as best he could and in whatever way possible,

"Do you have any representatives in the Earth Kingdom, if they left Republic City then they are long gone from here." she managed, a gut feeling that Haruka was no longer in the city and that perhaps she was somewhere in the former Earth Empire as the Great Uniter had so aptly titled her united lands, "Tenzin, I just need to know she is safe." Lin added hoping he would understand,

"Lin, I can send Opal and Kai to check the Earth Kingdom, if she is free from her captives what should they look for?" he asked knowing this must be difficult but keen for Lin to tell him everything she knew,

"She's about five six, would be wearing Earth Nation colours, long dark hair normally tied back and she'd be barefoot." she managed hoping that Haruka hadn't changed her appearance that much, since the last time she had been arrested for it was always an endearing notion to know the kid didn't wear shoes as it made her feel closer to the Earth, or it was simply a case of her always giving the shoes she got away to others in the same position as her. Still Lin was worried and hoped Tenzin would at least help,

"Alright, I've got all that. Lin, try not to worry." Tenzin replied hoping that whomever this girl was she was safe for if Lin was worried, there had to be something about her,

"Thank you, Tenzin. Keep me posted, I've got work to do." she replied her usual hardened tone coming through as she hung up on her old friend and got back to work.


End file.
